Heroes
by munrochambers4ever
Summary: Sometimes the only person keeping you alive is a hero you were forced to become.


**Author's Note:** So basically I'm writing a fic of Jet's milestones as he grows up after his parents die. Usually I don't like fics like this, but Jet is my favorite and I don't think people understand what a heart breaking character he is.

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I have never believed the saying "you're entire life flashing before your eyes" until I was thrown flat on my back and felt my rib cage crack under pressure. It knocked the wind out of me and slamming my head on the concrete during the fall knocked me to a different world—

"Mama!" There was fear in the little boys voice as he gripped his sheets in his tiny hands, pulling them over his face to hide from any danger. He sniffled, feeling tears leak out of his eyes. He hoped his father didn't come in instead of his mother — his dad always told him to be _brave_, to _fight_.

"What is it, sweetie?" Warm arms surrounded him and he nuzzled into his mother's chest, letting the covers fall because his mother could protect him from anything.

"I had a bad dream," He mumbled, trying to forget about the images he saw.

His mother chuckled lightly under breath, shifting them so they were lying down. "You know they're not real, Yukan. Want me to tell you a bedtime story?"

Yukan nodded and his mother leaned over to get a wheat stem off the table, handing it to her son. He immediately cheered up because he knew what story was going to be told. Ever since Yukan was a baby, he'd chew on wheat stems — it helped sooth his gums when he was younger and became such a bad habit. He hoped one day he'd grow out of it, but then again, his favorite hero chewed on wheat stems.

His mother cradled him against her, lying back and starting her story. "It was a long, long time ago, when the Fire Nation first attacked. A brave warrior from the Earth Kingdom named Jet stood tall in his forest and waited for the vicious firebenders. He was all alone, but Jet was strong and Jet was so brave. When the firebenders came for him, Jet was able to slay them all and he was considered a hero to the Earth Kingdom. The named countless statues and forests after their brave warrior and Jet lived happily ever after."

She kissed her son goodnight, and Yukan laid in bed, dreaming up images about Jet and how courageous he was. He fell asleep with the wheat stem still in his mouth.

When Yukan found himself in the forest, crying and burnt, waiting for his mother to come find him, the thought of Jet again. Jet could have taken the firebenders down and saved his village. He could still hear the screams and cries of his family and friends, even hidden away in the forest.

The trees and houses from his village still burned and he was starting to get sick from the smell of smoke. Yukan clutched a wheat stem in his burnt little hand, hoping either his mother, father, or hero would show up and save him.

Nightfall came and the fires were put out. No one had come for him. Yukan found himself crying even more, so afraid of the dark and the creatures in the forest. He had never been so scared.

He started thinking about if Jet were here, how he;d protect Yukan and find his mother and everything would be okay. He put the wheat stem in his mouth and it made him feel a little better.

When morning came, Yukan was still alone in the forest and he had stopped crying. He realized that no one was going to come for him, that he was all alone in this forest. He stood up and started looking around for leaves or grass, or anything he could use to heal his burn. His father spent the better part of his childhood teaching him out to survive, in case anything like this ever happened.

Yukan took a deep breath, pressing a leaf to his burnt hand. He stared up at the trees, remembering all the stories of Jet, the forest hero who saved lives and took care of himself. Jet didn't need anybody, and neither did Yukan.

With a huff, Yukan stood tall, scowl embedded on his face. "If Jet won't come for me, I'll just become Jet."

And with that, he promised himself that Jet would be everything his mother said he was — brave, skilled, protective. Jet would be the best soldier this nation had seen. And he'd hunt down every last firebender and make them _pay_.

Yukan needed a Jet right now. But reality set in real fast and he knew Jet wasn't real. He grew up within that night. Fairytales were just that… _tales_.

So that day, Yukan turned himself into Jet, and started making good on his grudged.


End file.
